Montana Campaign in Memory of Pittsburgh’s Jews

For those of you who have had the privilege of hearing our good friend Rabbi Chaim Bruk join us on our Montana Talks statewide radio show, he is launching a new effort across the state to help honor the memories of the Jewish people murdered at the synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Check out the full details below sent to us from Rabbi Chaim, who heads up the synagogue in Bozeman, Montana:

Montana campaign in memory of Pittsburgh’s murdered Jews

In the wake of the Pittsburgh massacre in which eleven Jews were gunned down during their Sabbath morning prayer service at the Tree of Life Synagogue, Americans have come together, setting aside the usual political and religious divides, to respond with incredible acts of kindness, love and support for the Jewish community.

“We’ve felt the embrace, the collective hug, here in Montana” said Rabbi Chaim Bruk, director of Chabad Lubavitch of Montana, “countless non-Jews have reached out with unadulterated love, sending gifts, emailing and calling, attending Jewish services and even stopping Jews in the street or in the supermarket to share a kind word or statement of solidarity. It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the graciousness of the average Montanan since October 27”.

The Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory— the visionary of Montana’s three Chabad centers in Bozeman, Missoula and Kalispell, often emphasized that if one hate-filled individual can accomplish so much evil and cause so much pain, how much more so can we bring about so much good by joining together, millions of us, to do good acts filled with meaning and love. If we permeate our world with spiritual aura, it acts as a counterbalance to the wicked spirit brought about by hateful individuals. So, while Law Enforcement does their job to combat anti-semitism, each citizen must do their part to fill our world with light and kindness.

Moving into the realm action, Rabbi Bruk and his wife Chavie, who co-direct the Jewish center, decided to launch a campaign to provide every Jewish home in the State with a charity box, or as it’s called in Yiddish a “Tzedakah Pushka”, so that they can each have an in-house reminder to do daily acts of charity and righteousness. “It can be a quarter or a penny” said Mrs. Bruk “but doing the daily act brings healing energies into our fractured world and centers us, our souls, each day to be more giving, more kind and less angry and broken”.

The money raised from these charity boxes will go to Bonei Olam, a worldwide Jewish organization that helps Jewish couples navigating the struggles of infertility, helping them realize their dream of having a family. “It’s the ultimate response. They took away Jewish lives and we will help bring more Jews into the world” said Rabbi Bruk.

It is their hope to reach the first 250 homes before the end of the year and keep it going until every home in Montana has a charity box of their own. To receive your very own Pushka, call 406-585-8770 or email office@JewishMontana.com